🔗 Share this article French authorities to begin intercepting small boats in English Channel after British demands French officials have consented to start stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the UK. The change in policy comes after the British leader wrote to the French leader asking him to back the plan and stating there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel. French security forces will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative statements. French police have rarely acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both officers and individuals. "It is crucial that we implement these methods this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters." Now, a French naval police spokesperson states officers will start intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting human life. Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a possible technique to disable the engines of the vessels. The decision to intervene at all is a major step forward, coming after a short-lived shift towards a stricter approach this warmer season, which ceased when the former Interior Minister departed from office. This was demonstrated in July, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat. Now French authorities will once more be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of northern France, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped. Powerful gusts are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for ways to adapt to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the past. UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment. Related Developments Why UK can't just send back asylum seekers to French territory French government backing away from commitment to intercept asylum boats UK immigration Channel crossings Border security